The Shuttle in Spacedock

Workshop review from Jim Caldwell

At the Florida workshop, a nice gentleman named Jim Caldwell came up to interview me on camera during the first lunch break. He was a heck of a nice guy, and today he sent me this HDR workshop review that he just released. Thanks Jim!

First Nikon D3S Photo

I'm still writing my Nikon D3S Review, so get ready for that. I think I'll give the first look to people that subscribe to the newsletter ( www.stuckincustoms.com/newsletter/ ). So, far, I'm very impressed. In prepping for the event, below is an HDR photo I took yesterday with the new camera.

Daily Photo - The Shuttle in Spacedock

I finally got to see the Space Shuttle! It's one of those things a young boy always dreams of seeing, don't you know? I'm still waiting on that phone call from NASA where they invite me to see one blast off. I'd love to do a creative shot there...

This was shot in the new Air and Space Museum on DC. Yes, not that old one that I used to think was cool when I was a kid. This is a new and improved center that is completely unbelievable. I had a small argument with a security guard that would not let me take my tripod. He said I needed a "blue card". I asked how to get that and he said the only person that could possibly give it to me was probably at home. There were a number of bureaucracies where I could have filed a series of complaints, but only if such complaints were filled out in a way as pre-approved by other bureaucracies. I did send out a self-serving Tweet to @Smithsonian asking them for special dispensation, since I one of my photographs had hung in the Smithsonian. They did indeed respond, but one day late. So, I'll still keep @Smithsonian on one of my Five Twitter Lists.

So, I was forced to take my HDR shots with a hand-held pose. How barbaric and depressing. I would try to wedge myself up against a beam or a foreigner when possible, but that rarely works out as good as a tripod. Those things are never placed in the right compositional spots, sadly.

But, I did have the Nikon D3S as a backup, and I fired this one off. It was a 4-exposure HDR from -2 to +1. ISO 400, 23mm, f/6.7 and 1/6 second shutter speed. The +2 exposure was too blurry, and I got most of the light I needed out of the +1 anyway.

We're going to Florida in late July for a space shuttle launch/vacation. Will be able to get to the place press and dignitaries sit and photograph from there. Better hurry if you want to shoot a launch - in case NASA retires the thing like they say.

"Not actually evil, but bad-tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous. They wouldn't even lift a finger to save their own grandmothers from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal without orders signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters ..."